Sunak’s Conservative party loses heavily in local elections in England

The opposition Labor Party won by a large margin, winning about a quarter more seats than in previous elections. For the first time since 2002, Labor has more councilors than the Conservatives.

According to a BBC analysis, Labor would come out 35% in the national elections, the Conservatives 26% and the Liberal Democrats 20%.

“We are on track to secure a majority in the next national election,” Labor leader Keir Starmer said on Friday evening as most of the votes had been counted. But in the FinancialTimes Electoral expert John Curtice said Labor’s score was “perhaps just enough” for a majority in the House of Commons. Perhaps Labor should form a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. According to Curtice, Labor’s gains were not exceptionally large and the election mainly showed how poorly the Tories are doing.

Labor won places in Stoke-on-Trent and Blackpool in the red wall former Labor strongholds that fell to the Tories in 2019 due to the popularity of Boris Johnson and Brexit. In this region, Prime Minister Sunak is considerably less popular than Johnson. In the wealthier south of England, the Tories lost to the Liberal Democrats.

Prime Minister Sunak is under pressure due to the poor result. Nevertheless, the damage will be limited, said political scientist Tim Bale The Guardian. Most Tories are in no mood for a new leadership election after the party quickly exhausted three prime ministers, May, Johnson and Truss. Johnson’s supporters have suggested a return of ‘Boris’ on Friday night, but according to Bale there is little enthusiasm for it within the Tory party.